


Parallel Lives

by MrToddWilkins



Series: The Gift of Apollo [3]
Category: Original - Fandom
Genre: 80s, Babysitting, Cheerleaders, F/M, High School, House Party, Marswalk party, School Dance, Slice of Life, Soap Operas - Freeform, Socal, essentially a real-life babysitter’s club, inspired by Sweet Valley High
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:34:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23888290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrToddWilkins/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Summary: A look into two lives in a low fantasy world. Also,the 80s.
Series: The Gift of Apollo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1433635





	1. Greenfields student ID:Gabrielle VanDeWater

ID #184  
Name: VanDeWater, Gabrielle Anna  
DOB: 2/15/69  
Current grade (as of 1984-1985 academic year): 10th grade  
Homeroom: Mr Lachland  
Extracurricular activities (if any): sports (soccer,cheerleading), tech crew, prom committee, French club, school newspaper, daily announcements  
History: represented Greenfields at VA State All-Academic Bowl 1983, chief defense on soccer team (16 wins, 7 assists, 4 losses), daughter of Mr David VanDeWater (9th grade English, formerly History of Magic)  
Current class ranking: 8th


	2. The Birthday Girl

_(Soundtrack - De Wolfe, ‘Graffiti’)_

  
Vital. That's what Gabrielle Vandewater was,yes. A pretty,smart,sociable,vital sort of girl. Picture her,if you will. Tall,about 5'8'. Long-ish dark hair,done neatly in a feathery sort of style. Warm grey eyes. A broad nose,but not too broad. A well-proportioned face,ending in a proud,prominent chin.  
Lovely,wasn't she?

Well,on the morning of her 16th birthday,the 15th of February in 1985,she didn't think so. Gabby had nursed hope upon hope that the day she turned 16,some major,magical sort of change would happen. Something that would scream "You're 16!" Something that would change her life for the better.

That morning,she awoke just after 7 am. She got off her bed (a nice,canopied bed with a bright green blanket and unicorn feather pillows),had a quick shower,brushed her teeth,got dressed,and looked in the mirror. She was wearing a gray overshirt with the traditional Greenfields green-and-white plaide over the shoulder,over a blue T-shirt reading "Life rules,and so do you!", a present from her dad on her 13th birthday. 

"Not bad",she told herself, "but not the best either". It was then that the phone rang. That would be Cara James,one of her friends. She'd known Cara since second grade,when she'd moved to Greenfields from a small Massachusetts town. They'd giggled over boys,teachers,sports,and many an other thing. Gabby liked Cara because she was one of those people who was unafraid to pour out their situation to someone,whoever it might be.

Gabby picked up her mini-phone. "Hi,Cara."  
"Hi there,Gabs. Hope it's not a bad time. Is it?"  
"Nah! I'm just heading down-"  
Gabby bumped into her older brother. "Hey,squirt. Happy b-day."  
"Jamie!", she said as she embraced him."Where're you off to?"  
"Would you believe, Washington DC?"  
"Maybe", Gabby said with a twinkle in her eye. Jamie moved on upstairs.  
"Was that Jamie?"  
"Yeah. As I said,I'm just going downstairs for breakfast."

"I just finished mine. Toast,heated with a warming charm. Did you get Mr Woods' essay done for Global?"  
"Yep. Who knew there was so much interesting stuff to learn about the Crimean War?"  
But before Cara could answer,there came a shout of "SURPRISE!" from the family room.  
"Gotta go,Cara. See you at school."

Inside the family room,there waited Gabby's parents,Dave and Anne. Also there were Jamie (either there was a hidden passage before the landing,or he had learned apparation at college) and Lynne Birdwell,another friend of Gabby's.  
"Guys!", Gabby said. "This is a.....surprise."  
"Happy birthday,my dear Gabs!", Anne said as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.  
"Thanks,Mom!"  
"Don't forget we made reservations at Johnny B’s", said Anne,naming an expensive restaurant in the town owned by Lynne’s family.  
Gabby,wolfing down cereal with milk (as was her wont),could only mutter a reply.

\-----------

The bus dropped her and 45 other kids off in front of the old staircase that served as the main access point for Greenfields Secondary School,home of the Fighting Vikings. Gabby entered the school and went straight to her locker. There stood Cara,a small,lithe girl with chestnut hair,blue eyes,an attractive heart-shaped face,and a great fashion sense.

"Hi,Gabby! Hi,Lynne!" Lynne waved and headed on down to her locker.  
"So have you made any arrangements for the party?"  
"The.....party?"  
"You know which party I'm talking about,silly!"  
Gabby felt like an idiot. How could she not have known what Cara was referring to?

On Thursday,March 21,the crew of the Ares 2 space mission,led by veteran astronaut Pete Conrad,would launch from Cape Canaveral. Their mission had the historic goal of being the first manned mission to land on Mars. As such,President Ted Kennedy had declared the day of the launch,and the two days bracketing it,a federal holiday. This gave the high school students of the USA an unusual five-day weekend. Gabby had planned a party the night before the launch,a launch viewing party on the big day itself,and for Friday,the day the Ares 2 spacecraft would actually depart Earth orbit for Mars,a class picnic.

"Well,I did buy enough embroidered mission patches for everyone who's going,and I'm making NASA-worm cookies with my dad. We've got a few activities planned,if you wanna hear about them."  
"Sure do."  
"A name-the-astronaut contest,a mission quiz (the prize is a laminated Mars map),a space history slideshow,and a model rocket launch at the picnic."  
"Oh,Gabby! You come up with the best ideas! You're a genius!"  
"So I've been told."

The bell toned and the girls split,Gabby for Global History II and Cara for Spanish. They reunited in second period for English. After English,they stayed together for gym. Coach Errol told them that spring cheerleading tryouts were to be held soon. With aerobics tests out of the way,the girls went to library and computer science,followed by lunch.

They shared a table with a few popular girls. Dawn Finestone and Alicia Williams were on the cheerleading squad. Gianna Feasey was the class president. Juliana Baxter headed the girls' track team. Gabrielle Davis was well-known as a nerd,and Pamela Belden was skilled with animals. Charissa Williamson had led her clique since 2nd grade:also in it were Anna Thirlwall,Grace Hammond,Laine Seltzer,Amy Lucas,Hazel Tyrell,and Nicole Wallace. And Emma Poirier played drums for Kingstead,Greenfields' contribution to the pop music scene.

”Look”, Amy said.

“What?”

”Over there.”

Gabby followed Amy’s finger to where Dana Royce sat,using a pumice stone to buff her foot. Dana looked older than a typical teenage girl. She had a muscular physique,long red hair,and a neutral attitude that Gabby wished she could have.

”It’s unbelievable”, drawled Nicole. “That girl had to flunk _at least_ three grades,I swear to God.”

”She’s due to graduate next year,right?”

”Should’ve been last year,but she just _had_ to have Seth Collins’ baby.”

”Oh,yes. Scott,right?”

”Yep” said Nikki,popping the ‘p’ like she was blowing gum. “Her brother Bill used to be in my youth group. Before I decided that said youth group was a crock of shit smelling worse than a leprechaun’s gold.”

”It makes me sick”, muttered Alicia. “We’re next-door neighbors,and she’s nice and all,but Seth? She could do way better than him. Anywho, how many of you are going to the dance tonight?”

All their right arms went up.   
  


“I’m going with my second cousin Michael as a date,just so you know”, Hazel said. “He goes to Riverdale. He’s a sweet guy.”

“Who are you bringing,Gabs?”, asked Laine.

”Nick Miller,from health class.”

The girls ooh’d and aah’d in response. Nick Miller was handsome,without being too handsome. He wrote poetry and could sing like the best. He’d asked Gabby to the dance a few weeks earlier after gym class.

”Who’re you going with,Cara?”

”Chris Anderson”,she said,naming one of the newer guys. Chris was on the school tennis team.

“I hear he’s real handsome”, smiled Anna.

”He totally is,Ann! He’s your type as well.”

”Oh,I bet he is!”

Gabby laughed with them. That was the advantage of having a large friend group,she thought:you could laugh together,talk together, really do anything together,and it would all seem natural.

After lunch her whole afternoon was study hall,so she went down to the school library to read. Selecting a book about Janyse and Nick Harrington,twin child stars who’d been popular a few years before,she settled into a bean bag chair. It wasn’t long before Dana Royce happened upon her.

”Hey there,Dana.”

”Oh,hello. So,a little birdie told me you’re going with Nick Miller?”

Gabby reared up on an elbow. “Yeah.”

”You’re lucky. He’s a dreamy guy,isn’t he?”

”Are you going with Seth?”

”He’s too busy. I’m going with Luke O’Conner. You know him?”

”That shy blonde boy with the lopsided smile? Yeah. He’s nice. Doesn’t say much. Are you in study hall too?”

”Yeah. I really should be doing my history homework. See you tonight!”

Gabby waved as Dana made her way over to a table.

_————-_

_At least the day hasn’t been bad,_ Gabby thought later as she got ready for the dance, the Sun shining low in her window, illuminating the fairies caught in its glow. She would be going directly from her birthday dinner to the school,Jamie driving her. He had a cool new Lexus with her name on the shotgun seat. Pulling on her light purple dress,Gabby went downstairs.


End file.
